Inside DOD

By Amber Corrin

A formal announcement could be coming soon regarding the Army’s nomination for a new chief information officer.

Maj. Gen. Susan Lawrence is the anticipated nominee. She is currently assigned as a special assistant to Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, and previously was commanding general of Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Signal Command at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona.

Inside sources say her nomination has cleared the desk of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and has been submitted to the White House. The timing of the announcement remains uncertain, and could be as long as 45 days, according to sources.

Lawrence would replace Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, who stepped down as Army CIO on Nov. 4. In the interim, deputy CIO Mike Krieger has been filling in.

Secretary Robert Gates tomorrow is expected to discuss the forthcoming fiscal 2012 defense budget, including ongoing and controversial measures to shave over $100 billion in Defense Department spending.

That money, under Gates’ proposals from last summer, was supposed to go toward war spending, but now, it appears there may be a tug-of-war going on as the White House pushes for more saving. The administation apparently wants to have at least some of the money directed toward reducing the federal deficit.

Still, Gates may retain some leverage – though his office has publicly stated he plans to retire in 2011, at least one industry analyst says that President Barack Obama is working to persuade him to stay through the end of Obama’s term, according to a Reuters report.

The offices of top Democrats and Republicans from both the House and Senate armed forces committees have confirmed a scheduled meeting with Gates tomorrow, and although the Pentagon press office so far does not have a briefing scheduled, numerous published reports say he will address the press after the meeting on Capitol Hill.

According to the Washington Post, the DOD budget will see roughly $12 billion cut from original plans for fiscal 2012.

Unnamed sources told Reuters that tomorrow Gates will announce the cancellation of the Marine Corps’s $13 billion Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program and a Pentagon surface-launched missile program, as well as the extension of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

The defense IT community has been rumbling with speculation about who will replace retired Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson as Army CIO since he stepped down Nov. 4, but while mum’s the official word, it’s looking increasingly likely that the successor has been chosen.

Inside sources – and signals – are pointing to Maj. Gen. Susan Lawrence as the clear front runner for the job.

An Army CIO/G-6 spokesperson has confirmed that Lawrence is working as special assistant to Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff – and that’s a solid (although unofficial and unconfirmed) indication that she has all but landed the Army CIO gig.

It’s not uncommon in the Beltway shuffle to hire a top prospect as a special assistant while awaiting the lengthy Senate confirmation process that’s required for Presidential appointments, which the Army CIO is.

In the interim, Mike Krieger, deputy Army CIO, is filling in.

It could end up being lengthy stints for Lawrence and Krieger in their temporary roles – sources say don’t expect any movement before the new Congress takes over in January.

However, one thing that won’t be holding up the confirmation is Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), who has released the hold on Pentagon nominations he said he’d execute until he got some more definitive answers about Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ plans to close Joint Forces Command, headquartered in Norfolk, Va.